Having just read Carol Dweck's Mindset, I couldn't help but notice some of the ways Dweck warned parents not to raise their children. When praising your children it's important to guard your tongue because even the highest of praises, though uplifting for your child at the time, may stick with them, and end up doing far more harm than good.
With that in mind, the biggest academic influence acting on me outside of the classroom was without a doubt my mother. My mother is a wonderful woman, and from an early age both she and my father encouraged me to do well in school, make many friends in many places, and to stretch myself and test my comfort zone. While I love them both, and I've never mentioned this to them, some of the things they said in their attempts to encourage me have, just as Dweck said, left me feeling as if I've fallen short. From an early age my mother told me I was smart. I, as I'm sure many of my fellow classmates here did, excelled in the early years of grade school. A second grade teacher recommended taking me out of public school and putting me into a private setting in which I might hone my talents even more.
My mom wasn't afraid to tell anyone that, and she reminded me of it on a regular basis in the years to follow. She still does actually. It's quite annoying.
I don't think I'm unintelligent. I actually like to think I'm a reasonably good thinker, but I dislike thinking of myself above others. I believe humility is an important quality to practice. Sure, I have pride in quite a few areas, but to be openly expressive of that pride is often in poor taste. In a classroom setting, I'd rather my grades do the talking. My fifth grade teacher, Mr. Castiglione, once told me, after a long one on one speech about effort in the classroom, "you could be the star."
Of course, I went home and told my mom that, and that became my undoing. The way I see it, yes, I'm a good student. However, I have some study habits which I'm still trying to correct and I have a bad habit of procrastination. Despite what my fifth grade teacher said to me, who's to say I'm the smartest and most capable one in the classroom? I don't know, maybe I was at the time, but there were others who were very intelligent as well, and some of them had a better work ethic than I did. Despite all the praise my mother gave me at home, I felt as if, partly due to my own errors of course, I frequently fell short of the standard she set for me. Despite how much she told me I could overcome it, I never did.
While my mother was by far the most powerful influence acting on me outside of school in this regard, my father was there as well, always acting as a sort of buffer for her fanatics. While he certainly cared, and still cares, about my schooling, he's a much more quiet person, and his encouragement has always been tame. Despite the passion my mom has expressed in her desire to see me succeed, my father's softer spoken words of encouragement were always highly appreciated.
As I've stated, although it was by my own errors that I didn't always do as well as I could have done in the classroom, I have to say, a lot of stress was supplemented by the things my mom said to me. Going forward, I look to correct those mistakes in college. My parents and family have been a constant source of encouragement, even now, and I plan to take all these positive words they've had for me and carry them forward, if all goes well, into further understanding and success.
With that in mind, the biggest academic influence acting on me outside of the classroom was without a doubt my mother. My mother is a wonderful woman, and from an early age both she and my father encouraged me to do well in school, make many friends in many places, and to stretch myself and test my comfort zone. While I love them both, and I've never mentioned this to them, some of the things they said in their attempts to encourage me have, just as Dweck said, left me feeling as if I've fallen short. From an early age my mother told me I was smart. I, as I'm sure many of my fellow classmates here did, excelled in the early years of grade school. A second grade teacher recommended taking me out of public school and putting me into a private setting in which I might hone my talents even more.
My mom wasn't afraid to tell anyone that, and she reminded me of it on a regular basis in the years to follow. She still does actually. It's quite annoying.
I don't think I'm unintelligent. I actually like to think I'm a reasonably good thinker, but I dislike thinking of myself above others. I believe humility is an important quality to practice. Sure, I have pride in quite a few areas, but to be openly expressive of that pride is often in poor taste. In a classroom setting, I'd rather my grades do the talking. My fifth grade teacher, Mr. Castiglione, once told me, after a long one on one speech about effort in the classroom, "you could be the star."
Of course, I went home and told my mom that, and that became my undoing. The way I see it, yes, I'm a good student. However, I have some study habits which I'm still trying to correct and I have a bad habit of procrastination. Despite what my fifth grade teacher said to me, who's to say I'm the smartest and most capable one in the classroom? I don't know, maybe I was at the time, but there were others who were very intelligent as well, and some of them had a better work ethic than I did. Despite all the praise my mother gave me at home, I felt as if, partly due to my own errors of course, I frequently fell short of the standard she set for me. Despite how much she told me I could overcome it, I never did.
While my mother was by far the most powerful influence acting on me outside of school in this regard, my father was there as well, always acting as a sort of buffer for her fanatics. While he certainly cared, and still cares, about my schooling, he's a much more quiet person, and his encouragement has always been tame. Despite the passion my mom has expressed in her desire to see me succeed, my father's softer spoken words of encouragement were always highly appreciated.
As I've stated, although it was by my own errors that I didn't always do as well as I could have done in the classroom, I have to say, a lot of stress was supplemented by the things my mom said to me. Going forward, I look to correct those mistakes in college. My parents and family have been a constant source of encouragement, even now, and I plan to take all these positive words they've had for me and carry them forward, if all goes well, into further understanding and success.